Trax Gurkha - As good as it gets??

This is a discussion on Trax Gurkha - As good as it gets?? within 4x4 Vehicles, part of the 4x4 & Off-Roading category; Originally Posted by 4x4addict
Some interesting reading on Gurkha's grand daddy.
Mercedes celebrates 30 years of the G-Wagen with special ...

Thanks for the link, learned something today. But more than that - excellent pics. My desire for a Gurkha spikes whenever I see pics like these. Thankfully reality (and wallet) keeps me grounded. Maybe I will squirrel away enough greenbacks by the time Force actually gets around to offering the Gurkha with the OM611.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parm

its not a stolen copy, its not a clone either!

its under license production including the MB engine. and its exported back to Germany and its a BIG hit there!

Nice pic. I am debating whether to order a GAMA or not (leaning towards it). We were discussing the color choices yesterday and were wondering how the GAMA looks in "Blue Sapphire". Well, now I can show them your pic Unfortunately our Santro AT is also a similar shade so it is between "Tasmania Green" & "Mica Black". Silver & Gold are not considered because they are too close to our Champagne colored Fiesta. Wish they still offered the dark red/maroon color shown in this pic.

So the current Gurkha which people can buy has a an Engine Built by Force Motors under License from Mercedes Benz.
What about the body,chassis and Transfer case etc., Is that also licensed from Mercedes?

Not anymore. They discontinued the Merc engine and replaced with an inhouse developed engine that makes about 75 bhp and 190 nm torque. Even the chasis has changed from the original G. In the current version just has the origins in the G-class, but a lot of the mechanicals including the power train/chasis has been changed by force motors. The vehicle in blue that param posted was a much earlier version and more close the to G-wagen than the current one.

thanks for the new info. i downloaded it from a website of a company based in Dubai importing and exporting Force motor vehicles.

so which one has DKG ordered? and what would be the onroad price of GAMA 10 seater? take out the rear seats and make it a 5 seater with plenty of luggage area and **** the middle seat a little to the back to create more legroom!

Classic confusion. I wouldn't blame you - I guess I would be in the same position as you!

The only thing that would pull me out of this predicament is if I can get an LC70 in India.

Imagine the day when we can walk into atleast three showrooms offering offroaders and as many offroad equipment shops selling stuff at reasonable prices unlike the ripoff setup in Bangalore. That will be the day.

Man there are so many of us going through this predicament including your's truly. It's sad that we have such limited options in the 4WD market in India..

And, to add to my particular flavor of frustration, I have this literally right outside my back door just waiting to be explored. But I think things will change a bit in the next 1-3 years....if there is still petroleum. Here Force is Farce, a very weak dealership.

Someone mentioned that the new Gurkhas are watered down by a bit and there are few subtle changes in it compared to the original Gurkha. Can anyone tell me where these changes are (change is engine is one that i know of) and how it affects the off-raod ability of the new ones compared to first Gurkhas. In another thread someone mentioned that Gurkhas are now available ex-stock, thats great news coz i want one That's why i am curious to know about the differences!

Not anymore. They discontinued the Merc engine and replaced with an inhouse developed engine that makes about 75 bhp and 190 nm torque. Even the chasis has changed from the original G. In the current version just has the origins in the G-class, but a lot of the mechanicals including the power train/chasis has been changed by force motors. The vehicle in blue that param posted was a much earlier version and more close the to G-wagen than the current one.

Ok, thats for clarifying I got confused because the tone of posts here suggested that if you walk into a showroom and buy a 4x4 Gurkha today, you are effectively getting a G-Wagon. The reality is that you are getting a vehicle which has some historical connection with G-Wagon.

Someone mentioned that the new Gurkhas are watered down by a bit and there are few subtle changes in it compared to the original Gurkha. Can anyone tell me where these changes are (change is engine is one that i know of) and how it affects the off-raod ability of the new ones compared to first Gurkhas. In another thread someone mentioned that Gurkhas are now available ex-stock, thats great news coz i want one That's why i am curious to know about the differences!

Since you already know that the 90hp OM616 engine has been replaced by the 75hp TD-2650 FTI, there isn't much of a change else where. It carries the same transmission, 4x4 transfer case and front & rear diff-locks. I think, other than the loss of a little engine power, nothing much has changed to affect its off-road prowess. It looks the same as it did 5 years ago, and in fact I think they added a bit of creature comforts like soft-feel seat fabric, A/C etc. Of course, my knowledge of Gurkha is limited, hopefully a more experienced BHPian will chirp in and add further information.

And, IMO, now is a good time to buy a Gurkha since Force seems to have some stock at hand (my local dealer promised a 5-day delivery), and you could also try and negotiate a bit of a discount because of general slow-down in the economy. But before you plonk down the booking amount, please do talk to someone at the Force factory in Pune and confirm the stock position. Don't just go by the dealer's word, they know very little about these vehicles.

Since you already know that the 90hp OM616 engine has been replaced by the 75hp TD-2650 FTI, there isn't much of a change else where. It carries the same transmission, 4x4 transfer case and front & rear diff-locks. I think, other than the loss of a little engine power, nothing much has changed to affect its off-road prowess. It looks the same as it did 5 years ago, and in fact I think they added a bit of creature comforts like soft-feel seat fabric, A/C etc. Of course, my knowledge of Gurkha is limited, hopefully a more experienced BHPian will chirp in and add further information.

Apart from the engine, a tbphian (i don't recall the post&name) has mentioned that there was some difference in the chassis also. That's what i am curious about. I hope they haven't done anything to hamper the off-road abilities of this niche machine. It's great to know that all the necessary 4x4 hardware is still there as it was before, I hope it remains there!